If missing teeth have left gaps in your smile, you can restore your smile with dental implants. Dental implants provide a long-term and secure solution to replacing lost teeth. Not everyone is a candidate for dental implants. You must have an adequate amount of healthy bone to support placement of the dental implants. The knowledgeable and experienced dentists at CenterCare Dental Group in Phoenix can determine if you are a candidate for dental implants.
What are Dental Implants?
Dental implants can restore your smile by filling in the gaps caused by missing teeth. There are three main parts to a dental implant, which include a metal post, an abutment, and a crown. The metal post, also referred to as a dental implant, resembles a screw in appearance and functions as an anchor for an artificial tooth in the same way a root holds a natural tooth in place. The dental implant or post is placed directly in the jaw bone. The bone and the metal post will eventually fuse together through a natural process called osseointegration.
After a few months, the bone and dental implant will have permanently fused together and the dental implant will be ready to securely anchor an artificial tooth in place. The abutment portion of a dental implant serves to connect the metal post and artificial tooth. If a single tooth is being replaced, a crown will be placed on top of the dental implant. It is also possible to replace multiple missing teeth simultaneously when using several dental implants and either a bridge or implant-supported overdenture together.
Benefits of Dental Implants
Dental implants deliver several benefits. A primary benefit is that they restore your smile by replacing lost teeth. Some additional benefits of dental implants involve addressing the unwanted side effects associated with having missing teeth. The teeth help support the muscles in the face. There is less support for these muscles when teeth are missing, which can lead to facial sagging and drooping. Replacing those teeth with dental implants restores essential support and reduces sagging.
Using dental implants to fill the gaps in your smile can also improve speech. Speech sometimes changes when teeth are missing because the tongue slips into the gaps when speaking. Filling in those gaps with dental implants can correct tongue placement when speaking and restore normal speech.
Another side effect of missing teeth is that remaining teeth can become worn down more quickly by taking on extra work. Restoring your smile with dental implants can reduce the excess strain on the natural teeth. The skilled and friendly dentists at CenterCare Dental Group in Phoenix can explain all the ways dental implants could benefit you.
If you are ready to restore your smile with dental implants, we can help. To learn more about how dental implants can help you, schedule an appointment with one of the dentists at our office in Phoenix by calling CenterCare Dental Group at (602) 671-3956.
